Merityre Goes Off-Roading with Cooper Avon Tyres!

15th February 2017

Cooper Avon Tyres treated 16 members of our excellent team, dubbed ‘Stars of the Future’, to a brilliant 4x4 off-roading experience day as a reward for their enthusiasm, dedication and desire to rise up the ranks of the company.

The day began in Tangley, where the group were given a presentation by Brian Sprott and Olly Brooks from Cooper, as well as a quick run through of the day’s safety procedures.

The group were split into teams of two, and took part in archery, croquet, a PlayStation rallycross simulator and target football practice, as well as getting to test two different Cooper products on the off-road course. The archery was a big hit amongst the teams, with a select few having a proven knack for the sport! There were only a handful of stray arrows to be rescued, and plenty of balloons popped in the final challenge round.

After testing their precision with archery and football practice challenges, and their driving skill on the PlayStation simulator, our team were ready to take on the 4x4 off-roading experience!

First, the teams had to take on two Land Rover Defenders fitted with Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tyres. Constructed for superior off-road performance, these tyres feature an aggressive tread pattern ideal for tackling difficult surfaces such as track, sand and mud – ideal for the thawing mud that our teams had to face!

The course was fairly demanding, including steep inclines and declines, deep mud, water and logs, all of which the car – and tyres – dealt with easily. The teams rapidly took to the driving element, and although there were the odd close calls (a ‘surprise’ tree here and there or a slightly overexcited right foot on the throttle), everyone managed to successfully complete the course in one piece.

The final challenge came in the form of two white pickups – a Toyota Hilux and an Isuzu D-Max. Both kitted out with the Cooper Discoverer AT3 Sport tyres, which are designed to provide a balanced on/off road performance in contrast to the rugged Discoverer STT Pro tyres, which are designed for 85% off-road.

Next the teams took over the wheels and this time experienced a more dynamic drive, as the Discoverer AT3 Sport tyres provided less traction on mud, meaning that the teams had to work harder to retain vehicle stability! Then came one of the favourite challenges of the day which saw our teams taking these cars into a field with a slight incline and attempting to carry the car up the track through deep mud! This provided a valuable lesson in throttle control and tested the tyre traction in extreme conditions – although, some spent more time in the mud than others it has to be said!

As well as a fun day away from the workshops, the Cooper Avon Tyres experience gave our specialists the chance to learn some new skills and experience the tyres we sell for themselves!

Testing these tyres was an excellent opportunity for our team as it enabled them to see first-hand the kind of capabilities that they provide, allowing them to better advise customers with personal experience.

It’s always helpful to be able to give customers a personal and authentic account of the quality tyres we provide, and have the confidence that we are supplying the right tyres for the customer’s needs.

A big thanks to Cooper Avon Tyres, Red 5 Offroad and Pro Driver Training for giving our Stars of the Future such a memorable day out, and another big thanks to our Stars of the Future for their dedication to the company – we look forward to hopefully seeing more from them as the years go on.